Friday, January 04, 2013

Looking back at 2012

I haven't seen many blogger's reviews their posts of the previous year - so far. I hope that will change as I enjoy a good reminisce, and it was certainly a good year to look back on.

My 2012 contained both the London Olympics and also the sail to the Artic Circle, and its hard to choose which of the two was the greater highlight.

They were in many ways completely different: for one thing, one experience was shared with just one other person, namely Tristan, while the other was a celebration that brought together a whole nation.

During the Olympics and Paralympics there was so much going on in London from the torch, to road races, to the rings on Tower Bridge, to the many sport venues, to the Olympic Stadium itself, to the National Houses, the art installations to the final parade and fly by (above).

While it's hard to pick one from what were an interlocked series of events, to be in the Olympic Stadium for the Paralympics Closing Ceremony really was an incredible experience. There were steampunk vehicles, dancers, acrobats, fire, fireworks, a million watt sound system, seat pixels, light system, Coldplay, Rihanna and Jay-Z, together with the knowledge this was the last hurrah of a wonderful summer.

The year was also filled with its fair share of art, books and music, plus travel with trips to Helsinki and three times to Geveva.

I also, with spooky coincidence, blogged about the high stress loads and dangers of the AC72s a day or two before Oracle's big prang in San Francisco Bay. In the gap between the Olympics and Paralympics I also watched the Extreme 40's in Cardiff Bay.

It wasn't all great with too much work and recently a rather nasty smash while ice skating. Maybe we were fortunate during our sail north:

It hasn't put me off: I'd like to return, one day.

But it is likely to be a long, long time until the Olympics come again to London, and those two eulogising posts on the Spirit of 2012 and I was there don't seem excessive but rather a statement of what it felt like to be in the heart of this great city during 2012.

5 comments:

Yes, JP, I share your chagrin at having missed the queen's Diamond Jubilee.

But those of us in capital cities are often so caught up in the perpetual rush of public spectacle and media attention that we can't attend every major event.

For three years now, I've failed to blog a word about the Isleton Crawdad Festival. Our Quarter Horses of Crustaceans do so deserve better treatment. Maybe this will be the year I find time to work the world famous pageant into my busy schedule.

I think my high point of 2012 had to be the end result of the most expensive trip I ever made to West Marine - the one where I walked in looking to buy a tide and pilot guide and walked out with an invitation to go sailing in the Gulf of Finland. What a great trip that was.

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